A Taste of the Caribbean in Colchester | Turtle Bay Launch Night

There's been a lot of buzz in Colchester recently, as it was announced earlier this year that three restaurants would be joining the high street - Wagamamas, Five Guys and Turtle Bay. Obviously, if you're a bit of a foodie like me then this is very exciting news! As much as I love a lot of the independent restaurants in Colchester, I definitely think we were in need of a little bit more variety.

Last Wednesday evening I was invited to the launch evening for Turtle Bay in Colchester. Having never visited a Turtle Bay restaurant before, I was really excited to find out more about the restaurant and try some of the Carribbean cuisine - something else I've never really tried!

Everyone I spoke to about Turtle Bay beforehand mentioned one thing - the cocktails!! And as someone who's a little bit partial to a cocktail, I was very excited to give those a try too.

When I arrived I was ushered straight over to the bar to sample a cocktail - not a bad start to an evening, hey! 

I was served a Reggae Rum Punch which was really fruity - definitely my kind of cocktail.

Soon after everyone arrived, and we'd all been given a tour of the restaurant, there was a brief talk letting us know more about the Turtle Bay chain of restaurants. I was excited to learn that they were started by the founder of Las Iguanas - as this is probably my favourite chain restaurant.

They spoke us through the delicious menu, and how the restaurant is inspired by chilled Caribbean beach vibes - something which is very much reflected in the layout and interior.

Next up, rum tasting!

We were told that they have over 48 different types of rum at their bar - who even know there was so many? - and we were given a coconut flavoured rum to sample.

With Turtle Bay offering 2 for 1 cocktails between 7 and 9pm, I'd encourage you to try as many of these 48 rums as you like. Afterall, in their words - drinking rum makes you a pirate, not an alcoholic!

We were shortly shown to our tables to start sampling the menu. 

Starters:

Seafood Platter

Main:

Sweet Potato, Aubergine & Spinach Curry (Vegan)

Jerk Chicken

Dessert:

Platter of desserts

(Cheesecake, brownie, sticky toffee pudding and bread pudding)

The food was incredible! Everything had so much flavour and it was really interesting to try new foods which I'd never had before, including Plantain. 

I opted for the Vegetarian Curry - which as a bonus is completely Vegan - and it was delicious. Full of flavour and really creamy. The Crispy Chilli Squid on the seafood platter was a highlight too. 

Thank you so much to Turtle Bay for inviting me to your launch evening, it was great to get a chance to try so many of the yummy options on your menu. I'll definitely back soon!